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June 22, 2004
AKRON, Ohio (Ticker) - Ohio State guard Nick Dials, who started nine games as a freshman last season, has transferred to Akron.

The decision comes two weeks after Ohio State coach Jim O'Brien was fired for alleged recruiting violations.

Under NCAA requirements, Dials has to sit out next season, then will have three years of eligibility remaining. He averaged 4.5 points, 2.1 assists and 1.4 rebounds last season.

"Nick is a perfect fit for our program," Akron coach Keith Dambrot said. "He is the ultimate winner and was a player we really wanted out of high school. He has excellent skills and tremendous knowledge of the game."

Dials attended Ohio State last fall as a walk-on, but was awarded a scholarship just before the start of the season.

Nick Dials might be one of the few people on the University of Akron campus who doesn’t understand why he has become the people’s choice.

While walking to classes, he has received "that-a-boys," pumped fists and pats on the back.

"One guy even came up to me and said, ‘Hey, you’ve got to quit playing so hard because you’re going to get yourself hurt again and we won’t have you for the MAC Tournament,’ " Dials said. "I can’t play any other way. That’s how you win games. I get some bumps and bruises, sure, but I don’t understand what the fuss is."

Dials gets the crowd pumped in James A. Rhodes Arena because, at 6 feet 1, 175 pounds and with a baby face, he looks like a pickup-game player undressing the big boys with his runaway-train style. He dives for loose balls, takes charges, goes inside for rebounds and beats the press.

"They’ve never seen anything quite like him around here," Akron sports information director Gregg Bach said. "He’s just so tough, and they appreciate that. They really go crazy."

Ohio State fans had the same kind of appreciation for Dials two years ago when he walked on to the team. He played so hard and so well — he started nine of the 19 games he played in and averaged 4.5 points and 2.1 assists — that coach Jim O’Brien put him on scholarship for one year.

The country-boy-makes-good story ended, however, when O’Brien couldn’t promise Dials that the scholarship would be renewed in 2004-05. If a more talented high-school senior came along, he was told, the full ride would go to that player.

Rather than gamble on having to pay full tuition, Dials called Akron coach Keith Dambrot about transferring. Akron recruited him when he was scoring 2,180 career points, the 20 th-highest total in Ohio prep history, at Willard High School.

"It was a tough decision, but it’s what I had to do," Dials said. "I know coach O’Brien was angry. He wanted me to stay. But I knew we could be special at Akron. I also wanted to win more."

The Zips (13-3, 6-0) will face Ohio University (11-3, 5-1) at 7 tonight in Athens on an eightgame winning streak and tied for first place in the Mid-American Conference East with Kent State. Dials averages 10.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists and has made 31 three-pointers.

"Nick is an awfully tough guy, a high-quality kid who plays at a high level," Dambrot said. "You get a transfer and sometimes you get other people’s problems. That’s not the case here. Our guards, Nick and Dru Joyce, are why we win. Those are two coaches on the floor."

Dambrot and fans want to see what Dials will be like when he’s 100 percent. In May, he suffered a torn ligament and cartilage in his left knee playing pickup ball.

Doctors told Dials that he would be out eight months. He worked out three times a day and was ready for preseason workouts.

The only problem from the injury, Dials said, is wearing a brace.

"I’d like to get rid of that thing," he said. "I’ve gone through four or five straps diving for balls. It’s a hassle coming out of the game for repairs. I’m not all the way back. I just do my best."

Dials could be doing the same at Ohio State.

"I watch Ohio State on TV every so often," he said. "I want to keep up with Ivan Harris. He was my roommate. Then there’s Terence (Dials). I always liked him. I’ve played in a few open gyms with Tony Stockman. But, no, I don’t think about it. I’m at Akron and we’re winning. This is fun. This is exciting."

I doubt this is a cheap shot. No denying that Akron plays a much easier sked than the Buckeyes, so wins are easier to come by.

A Big Ten team populated with Nick Dials types does not win a lot of games. See: Purdue and Penn State. He's a hard-nosed and talented kid, but his talent level is just not major-conference level.

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But by this he would be down playing his own ability and I don't think he would do this. He thought he was good enough to play here, but he wasnt sure if he was going to get the free-ride for another year so he wanted to go else where, and when asked why he said he wanted to win more.

I go to akron and Nick is a starter. When he transfered to akron he made a player transfer to ohio ( bubba walters). He took his starting spot. He hasn't changed. He still hustles, dives for the ball and still has that sweet stroke.
Fear the Roo

I go to akron and Nick is a starter. When he transfered to akron he made a player transfer to ohio ( bubba walters). He took his starting spot. He hasn't changed. He still hustles, dives for the ball and still has that sweet stroke.
Fear the Roo

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I remember Bubba. Tall, skinny kid. He could shoot though, and the fans at the JAR liked him a lot.

Nick Dials adapts well to new position
Shooting guard finds success as point guard
By Tom Gaffney
Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Friday, Dec 21, 2007

Nick Dials is taking a positive approach to playing out of position for the University of Akron basketball team.

Dials, a 6-foot-1 senior, is a shooting guard by nature and inclination who now finds himself playing point guard most of the time because of a variety of circumstances.

''I anticipated that this would happen, and I accept it,'' said Dials, who will be at the point tonight when UA meets Youngstown State at Rhodes Arena. ''I am a veteran on this team. I felt I had to do more anyway this season.

''After last year, I worked on my ball handling and doing things a point guard has to do.''

Dru Joyce III was the Zips' starting point guard for the past three seasons, but his eligibility ended after 2006-07. Problems this year with the other point-guard candidates ? Steve McNees (inexperience), Ronnie Steward (hip injury) and Darryl Roberts (eligibility) ? left Dials as the best alternative.

Dials, who transferred from Ohio State after his freshman season, did play the point when Joyce was rested. He spent most of his time at shooting guard, averaging 10.2 points as a sophomore and 10.1 as a junior.

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